Expository and Argumentative Writing: Essential Techniques
Linguistic and Textual Features of Expository Writing
The referential function predominates in expository texts.
Morphosyntactic Level
To express objectivity, the following are used:
- Declarative sentences and interrogative sentences for didactic purposes.
- Third-person and first-person plural perspectives.
- Reflexive, impersonal, and passive sentences to avoid direct references to the author.
For the development of the explanation:
- Nouns, noun phrases, clauses, appositions, adjectives, or equivalent structures.
- Subordinated causal, final, and consecutive clauses to express logical relationships between ideas.
Lexical-Semantic Level
Main features include:
- Present tense with timeless meaning for laws, axioms, and general truths.
- Denotative vocabulary, often abstract, with abundant technical terminology.
Creating Expository Writing
Effective writing requires planning and consideration of both preparation and final realization. Process steps:
- Determination of the issue, intent, and target audience.
- Information search from various sources.
- Planning the structure.
- Drafting the content.
- Revising, editing, and final writing.
The Argumentative Text
Argumentation is a form of discourse in which reasons are invoked to justify or prove a given assertion.
Purpose and Argumentative Structure
The aim is to convince or persuade the receiver, where the appellative function predominates. The basic structure contains four parts:
- Topic: The subject matter in dispute.
- Thesis: The affirmation or position of the party.
- Development: Arguments that support the thesis.
- Conclusion: The final position validated by the arguments.
Types of Arguments
Common forms of argumentation include:
- Cause and effect.
- Analogy or comparison.
- Contrast.
- Logical consequence.
- Criterion of authority.
Textual and Linguistic Features
These texts utilize the appellative, referential, expressive, and poetic functions.
Morphosyntactic Level
General trends for the development of argumentation:
- Declarative sentences, often complex (using coordinated, adversative, and subordinate clauses) to imply a didactic purpose.
- Subordinated adjective, causal, consecutive, and conditional clauses to express logical relationships.
- Objectivity: Use of the third person.
- Subjectivity: Interrogative or imperative sentences, first and second person, and vocatives referring to the receiver.
Semantic Level
Main features include:
- Verbs related to discourse and reasoning, cause and consequence, usually in the present or conditional tense.
- Varied lexicon, including abstract nouns and technicalities.
- Specified descriptive or evaluative adjectives and weighted adverbs.
- Use of expressive rhetorical resources.